Sustainable access to safe drinking water by 2015 The world’s mayors are on the frontline of a global water crisis that leaves one in four people without access to water in sufficient quantity or of an adequate quality, and one in two without an adequate sanitation system. Indeed, the lack of access to drinking water and sanitation remains the greatest cause of infant mortality in the world.
Importance of central-local partnerships The UCLG Local Government Declaration on Water, presented at the World Water Forum in March 2006, calls on national governments to work together with local governments towards achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goal aiming to halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water by 2015.
Recognition of the role of local government In the final declaration of the 2006 World Water Forum, governments recognised “the role played by local authorities to increase sustainable access to water and sanitation services, as well as to support international water resource management”. They further agreed that collaboration between local and central governments is a “key factor” in meeting global goals on water.
Ensuring integrated, equitable and sustainable management of water resources During the Forum, UCLG Mayors participated in a High-Level Dialogue with Ministers and Parliamentarians from across the world. “We call on national states to recognise the crucial role of local government in protecting water resources and ensuring sustainable water management,” said Paco Moncayo, UCLG Co-President and Mayor of Quito. The President of Cités Unies France, Charles Josselin, emphasised that “it is local government that addresses the difficulties and suffering of its citizens when water resources are poorly managed or even not managed at all.”
UCLG Committee on Water and Sanitation Enrique Peña Nieto, Governor of State of Mexico, is the Chair of the UCLG Committee on Water and sanitation : “The State of Mexico chairs the UCLG Committee on Water and Sanitation because we are convinced of the importance of ensuring integrated, equitable and sustainable management of water resources through cooperation between local governments and the international community.”
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UCLG Committee on Local management of water and sanitation
Ministerial Declaration - 4 World Water Forum 
